Liz Sanchez Training Stable, Inc.

09/12/2026

Sapphire & McLain Ward: America’s Double Olympic Gold-Medal Queen 🇺🇸🏆🐴

Few partnerships have represented American showjumping with quite the consistency, courage and brilliance of McLain Ward and Sapphire. 🇺🇸❤️

Known affectionately as “Sara”, Sapphire was a beautiful chestnut Belgian Warmblood mare born in 1995. She was by the legendary Belgian stallion Darco, out of Idjaz-C by Hedjaz — a pedigree that gave her the blood of one of the most influential jumping sires in history. 🧬✨

But Sapphire would become much more than simply another successful daughter of Darco.

With McLain Ward in the saddle, she became an Olympic champion, World Championship medallist, World Cup runner-up and Grand Prix superstar. 🐴🔥

Athens 2004 – Olympic Gold! 🥇🇺🇸

Sapphire and Ward made their Olympic debut at the 2004 Games in Athens, joining Beezie Madden and Authentic, Chris Kappler and Royal Kaliber, and Peter Wylde and Fein Cera on the American team.

Following the final redistribution of the medals, the United States was awarded team gold. 🥇

It was the beginning of an extraordinary championship career for Sapphire.

Two years later, at the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Ward and Sapphire helped the United States claim the team silver medal, finishing behind the Netherlands. 🥈🌍

Then came another Olympic Games — and another unforgettable performance.

Beijing 2008 – Olympic Champions Again! 🥇🥇

At the 2008 Olympic Games, with the equestrian events held in Hong Kong, Sapphire once again carried Ward for Team USA.

The United States and Canada finished level on penalties, forcing a dramatic jump-off for Olympic team gold. The Americans prevailed, giving Ward and Sapphire their second consecutive Olympic team gold medal. 🇺🇸🏆

Sapphire was equally impressive individually, with Ward finishing fifth — narrowly missing an individual Olympic medal.

Two Olympics. Two team gold medals. An incredible achievement. 🌟

The Superstar of 2009 🏆🔥

Sapphire's brilliance wasn't limited to championships.

The 2009 season was particularly spectacular. Ward and Sapphire won three major competitions in Florida before finishing second in the Rolex FEI World Cup Final in Las Vegas.

They followed that performance with victory in the Grand Prix of Devon, another win at the Hampton Classic, and then captured one of showjumping's greatest prizes — the $1 million CN International Grand Prix at Spruce Meadows. 💰🏆🇨🇦

Ward himself has described winning the Spruce Meadows Masters with Sapphire as one of the most memorable moments of his career.

Farewell to a Champion ❤️🐴

Sapphire was officially retired in 2012 at the age of 17, receiving an emotional farewell at the Devon Horse Show.

Sadly, she died in June 2014, aged 19, following complications from colic. 🕊️

Her contribution to American showjumping was enormous. Legendary horseman George Morris described Sapphire as the anchor of numerous U.S. teams, praising her tremendous scope and carefulness.

For McLain Ward, she was the mare who helped establish him among the world's elite. For American fans, she became something even bigger — a symbol of an extraordinary era for Team USA. 🇺🇸❤️

Sapphire & McLain Ward — two Olympic gold medals, World Championship silver, countless victories and a partnership forever written into American showjumping history. 🥇🥇🐴🏆🇺🇸

09/12/2026

09/06/2026

🐴❄️ Snowman: From Slaughterhouse to Show-Jumping Legend

Some sporting legends are born from perfect bloodlines and expensive training. Snowman’s story began very differently—with an $80 purchase that saved him from almost certain death. ❤️

🚛 An $80 Second Chance

In February 1956, riding instructor Harry de Leyer travelled to a horse auction in New Holland, Pennsylvania, hoping to find an inexpensive horse for his students on Long Island. He arrived late. The auction was over, and the unwanted horses were already being loaded onto a truck bound for slaughter.

One horse caught Harry’s attention: a tired, dirty grey gelding who had reportedly spent years working as a plow horse. Harry saw something worth saving and bought him for just $80. 🐎💵

Harry’s children called their new horse Snowman, and the gentle gelding quickly proved perfect for riding lessons. He was calm, dependable and especially good with children. Nothing about him suggested that he was about to become one of America’s most celebrated show jumpers.

🏡 The Horse Who Kept Coming Home

Eventually, Harry sold Snowman to a neighbor for twice what he had paid. Snowman, however, apparently had no intention of leaving his family.

The remarkable horse repeatedly jumped the neighbor’s fences and returned to Harry’s farm. Those escapes revealed an extraordinary natural ability. Harry bought Snowman back and began developing the former plow horse as a jumper. 🌟

It was the beginning of an unlikely partnership that would astonish the equestrian world.

🏆 From Farm Horse to Champion

By 1958—only two years after his rescue—Snowman was competing against some of the finest show jumpers in America.

That year, Harry and Snowman achieved what was considered show jumping’s Triple Crown: Snowman became American Horse Shows Association Horse of the Year, Professional Horsemen’s Association Champion and champion at Madison Square Garden’s Diamond Jubilee. 🥇🏆

His success continued. Snowman became the United States Open Jumper Champion in both 1958 and 1959, while his fame spread far beyond equestrian circles. He appeared on television, travelled for public appearances and became affectionately known as a true “Cinderella horse.” 📺✨

Yet perhaps the most charming thing about Snowman was his personality. Despite competing at the highest level, he remained the gentle family horse children could ride. ❤️

🌟 A Legacy That Still Inspires

Snowman retired from competition in the early 1960s and spent his remaining years with the de Leyer family. He died in 1974. In 1992, he was inducted into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame, ensuring his extraordinary achievements would never be forgotten.

From an unwanted plow horse on a slaughter-bound truck to a champion soaring over fences at Madison Square Garden, Snowman proved that greatness can come from the most unexpected places. 🐴❄️

Sometimes, all a champion needs is one person willing to give them a chance. ❤️🏆

09/06/2026

🏇 Hugh Wiley & Nautical: The Golden Duo of Showjumping ✨

Some partnerships in equestrian sport are remembered for their trophies. Others become legends because horse and rider found a way to transform raw talent, difficulty and determination into something unforgettable. Hugh Wiley and the brilliant palomino Nautical belonged firmly in the second category. 🌟

American rider Hugh Wiley (1927–1999) was an accomplished international show jumper who represented the United States at both the 1956 and 1960 Olympic Games. He also enjoyed major success at the 1959 Pan American Games, winning gold medals in both individual and team jumping.

But one of the horses most closely associated with Wiley's career was the unmistakable golden Nautical. 🐴💛

🌊 From I***n Joe to Nautical

Wiley purchased the palomino in 1955, when the horse was about 11 years old. Previously known as I***n Joe, Nautical already possessed extraordinary jumping ability—but he could also be extremely difficult to ride. Wiley, who had connections with the U.S. Navy, gave him the memorable name Nautical.

Under Wiley and legendary U.S. Equestrian Team coach Bertalan de Némethy, Nautical's tremendous natural ability was carefully developed. Months of patient flatwork helped turn the unpredictable jumper into a horse capable of competing against the world's best. 🇺🇸

Their results were remarkable. From 1956 to 1960, Wiley and Nautical contributed to seven winning Nations' Cup teams across North America and Europe, with victories including Toronto, New York, London, Rome and Lucerne. They also captured prestigious prizes on the American circuit.

🏆 A Golden Horse Becomes a Star

Among Nautical's greatest achievements was winning the King George V Gold Cup in 1959. He was also the highest-placed individual horse at the 1959 Pan American Games and competed at celebrated venues including Aachen, the National Horse Show and Toronto's Royal Winter Fair.

Nautical wasn't simply successful—he was spectacular to watch. His striking palomino coat made him instantly recognizable, while his distinctive habit of lifting his tail as he jumped helped inspire his most famous nickname: “The Horse with the Flying Tail.” 🎬🐎

That nickname became the title of a 1960 Disney film telling a dramatized version of his journey to international showjumping fame. The film took liberties with parts of Nautical's history, but it helped introduce the charismatic horse to audiences far beyond the equestrian world.

💛 A Legacy That Still Shines

Nautical retired from top-level competition around 1960, with a formal retirement ceremony following at the National Horse Show. Decades later, his place in equestrian history was formally celebrated when he entered the Show Jumping Hall of Fame in 2012.

The story of Hugh Wiley and Nautical remains a wonderful reminder that great showjumping partnerships aren't created by talent alone. They require patience, trust, courage and the willingness to understand an exceptional horse. 🏇✨

Together, Wiley and his golden showjumper didn't merely clear fences—they created a piece of American equestrian history. 🇺🇸🏆

09/06/2026

Have a great day

08/10/2026

07/07/2026

Happy 4th of July! Fittingly, it was in 1972 that the racing career of "America's Horse" began.

Secretariat made his racing debut on Independence Day at Aqueduct in a 5 1/2-furlong sprint for maiden c**ts and geldings—horses who’d never won a race before. Of the 12 horses entered, seven of them, including Secretariat, had never even been in a race before. There was a lot of jostling with so many “green” horses who didn't quite know what they were doing.

Secretariat was bumped hard at the start and got impeded in traffic, but he recovered and was rocketing after the leader as they came to the wire. Finishing fourth, the young Meadow Stable c**t nonetheless turned a lot of heads that day.

Secretariat went on to earn Horse of the Year honors as a juvenile, and did so again in 1973 as the sport’s first Triple Crown winner in a quarter century.

Most appropriate for today, this beautiful impressionist painting by Lisa Palombo Studios captures the glory of America’s horse.

Read more about Secretariat’s explosion onto the racing scene 54 years ago today: https://www.secretariat.com/past-performances/maiden/